LA- Las Vegas - Canyons - Yosemite - SF - LA

I am new to your site and am looking at doing a trip in an RV in September this year. I have been searching through your site and have been getting ideas and would love any help anyone can give.

We are a family of 4 ( 2 adults, 16 yr old and 9 yr old) and would like to do a bit of a road trip starting and ending in LA. We will arrive on the 19th September in the morning and depart late evening on the 3rd October. We have 14 days essentially.

We would like to incorporate 1-2 days in Disneyland at the end of the trip so happy to cruise straight on out of LA at the start.

Does anyone have a rough itinerary that would work with this time frame?

Also when looking at the RV option is it normally a cheaper alternative to renting a car and staying in hotels?

Choices for a most popular area.

Hi and Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum.

You are looking at the most oft discussed roadtrip on this forum. You might like to do a little searching around the forums to get some ideas from them. One thing you need to take into account, if you are coming off a long haul flight it would not be wise to drive that day. You don't say where you are flying in from, but your body clock will not be on LA time. Most RV rental places will not allow you to pick up an RV on the day you arrive from overseas.

It could be a good idea to do the Disney thing at the beginning of the trip, rather than waiting till the end. You could then end the trip by driving from SF to LA via the coastal road, and straight into LAX.

As for RV vs hotel and motel. That is a lifestyle, and never a budget choice. An RV is much desired when visiting the National Parks, but can be a real hassle when in metropolitan areas. All things considered, car and motel usually comes out cheaper.
This may throw more light on the subject.

A foundation.

Does anyone have a rough itinerary that would work with this time frame?

Road trips are an individual thing and different people like to travel at different paces, but here is an outline from which you can adjust to your tastes.

You don't say where you are flying in from , but from an International flight it is best to find a nearby hotel and rest up to your body clocks adjust. This a must do if you rent an RV as company policy. As mentioned above, you could spend time in LA at the beginning of your trip.

Day 1.[ On the road.] Drive towards the South rim of the Grand canyon. You could get there same day or stop near Williams for a shorter day.

Day 2. Explore Grand canyon

Day 3. Exit GC via the east kiosk along Desertview drive and drive to Bryce canyon.

Day 4. Bryce canyon to Zion NP.

Day 5. Zion NP.

Day 6. To Las Vegas.

Day 7. Las Vegas to Bishop CA via Death valley NP. [You would need to check RV rental contract as they are banned in the summer from DV by the rental companies due to heat. Sept should be OK.]

Day 8. Into Yosemite over the lovely Tioga Pass [CA120] to the valley.

Day 9. Yosemite. More of the valley, Glacier point, Mariposa Grove of giant Sequoias.

Day 10. Drive to SF, afternoon/early evening out.

Day 11. Drive south around Big Sur scenic coastline, stop over night in the Cambria area.

Day 12. Into LA.

If you wanted to be back in LA a day earlier you could skip Bryce canyon, although it is a wonderful place. If you wanted more time in SF you could leave Yosemite on the afternoon of day 9. As I mentioned you can juggle it to suit you but it should give you a building block to work from.

An RV won't be the cheaper option by the time you consider campground fees, high fuel consumption and the extras such as bedding and kitchen kits but it can be a wonderful family Lifestyle choice. Many years ago we done our first RV trip from SF which covers a lot of the same ground so you might find tips on campgrounds etc and a feel of RV'ing by looking here.